The Faceless Soldier
by bob15
Summary: The life story of a stormtrooper. Goes into detail on his adventures. Contains characters from the original trilogy and the books only. Please Read and Review. ch. 2 is up
1. THX-5721

A faceless soldier.  
By bob15  
  
Authors Note — I don't own Star Wars and (sadly) didn't write it. So don't sue me. This story is about the original Star Wars trilogy only. It is from the point of view of a stormtrooper. It contains no characters from The Phantom Menace (so if that's all you read, don't read this.) If you find this offensive, well if you find this offensive you shouldn't be reading it. I would like to dedicate this work to my best friend and fellow Star Wars fanatic Jeremiah. Long live the Galactic Empire and may the stormtroopers actually hit someone with their blasters!  
  
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"My name. . . my name is not important. To the glorious Empire, I was only a number. THX-5721. I was a soldier. My one true mission wass to preserve the Galactic Empire. All that was left of the Old Republic was intrusted into my hands. I and my fellow soldiers were the sword of our Sith lord. We were his hands in his fight against the evil rebellion. We wore our masks for a reason. We were called the 'Faceless Army.' It is assumed that because we were faceless we were without emotion. That is why we wore those symbols of honor. Because with them we showed no fear, no sign of sadness or of anger. We were warriors. A warrior must have no regrets if he wants to fully fulfill his masters plans and desires."  
  
"However, do no think that because we showed no emotions that we were not emotional beings. I, at least, had all of the weak and useless emotions. I had fear and regrets. That was my weakness. With this mask the glorious Empire had given me an escape. Through my flaws I could serve the great purpose of the Empire. Through this mask I was not confined but freed."  
  
"I have lived a soldiers life. I have been throughout the galaxy on noble quests. I remember my first great mission as a stormtrooper. It was on the frozen wasteland of Hoth. The Rebels were hiding like rats from the wrath of my lord, Darth Vader. I was assigned to a special task force under General Veers himself. I was under direct command from him. Since I had established to him my competence as a leader, I was chosen to lead a group of thirty elite troopers through the south entrance of the Rebel's Echo Base. It was nothing short of a blitzkrieg. My troops went throughout the base with such great efficiency that we captured many Rebel colonels and even a Rebel general. What was left of my brave warriors, twelve of the thirty, were highly decorated and I was offered the distinguished position of being an Imperial Guard. Any normal soldier would love nothing more than to protect the Emperor himself. But my place was with my men."  
  
"After the glorious victory at Hoth I was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to help organize an elite group of troops and engineers to help in the production of the second Death Star. After I had established my men in regular shifts I was relieved of command and assigned to a mission on the Wookie home planet of Kashyyyk. As you probably already know only a short time after this the Death Star was attacked and destroyed by evil and cowardly Rebel army. My life was spared but as for my Emperor's, I cannot say the same. With the death of the Emperor also came the death of the glorious Empire. All that was left was a scattered group of greedy Moffs, vying for power amongst the planets. Among these was Moff Darcc, my commander on the forest planet of Kashyyyk."  
  
"My task on the Wookie planet was to oversee and police the Trandoshan imprisonment and enslavement of the Wookie race. I enjoyed my mission for the Emperor but had many misgivings with my more than dishonorable leader. Moff Darcc's view of Wookies was not the reflection of my Emperor. Emperor Palpatine would never treat a race with such disrespect and contempt. But. . . my Emperor was gone and I was left under the command of the greedy Moff Darcc. After the Rebel victory at Endor they began to concentrate their military power on the small forested planet. Although my commander was greedy, he was a very competent military leader. With I at his side we felt unstoppable. But with the weapons and support of the Rebellion, now hypocritically calling themselves the 'New Republic,' the Wookies were a force to be reckoned with. After the cowardly act of mass deportation of the Wookies, Moff Darcc, along with the Trandoshan leader Pekt, were captured by the Rebels. I, along with my personal staff loaded a transport with trustworthy troops and headed for the once Imperial capital of Coruscant. Once there, we met up with a group of Imperial loyalists. I was sickened at the sight of the fifty foot tall statue of my late Emperor being shamelessly torn down by the Rebels. While at Coruscant my group and I heard of the presence of the military genius Grand Admiral Thrawn. I searched out this famous and brilliant war hero and made myself his loyal servant. Instead of serving Thrawn like I had planed, he made me a key officer in his staff. I was in charge of helping Thrawn with his plans of overthrowing the Rebels at Coruscant and recapturing the pride of the Empire."  
  
"After our success at Coruscant I, with my same group of followers, were assigned to the suicide mission of assassinating the Rebel leader, Commander Leia Organa Solo. Grand Admiral Thrawn ordered her assassination after she befriended a certain group of Thrawn's army and turned them against him. Shortly after this assignment was given to me Thrawn was stabbed by his closely trusted guard. In remembrance of our fallen friend my men and I were determined to come through on our assignment and have the cowardly rebel leader's head on a platter. However, I like Thrawn was betrayed by my dearest friend. I was captured by the Rebels before I was able to complete my mission."  
  
***************  
  
"So that's why you're here huh?"  
  
"Yes. . . that is why I must die in this godless pit. And what about you? Were you once also a soldier."  
  
"I was. But I fought with words not blasters."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I was a reporter in the Imperial Tribune."  
  
"Oh really. Maybe I have heard of you. What is your name?"  
  
"Tyo Rethman."  
  
"Hm. Doesn't sound familiar."  
  
"Well I was only an opinion writer then. Now I write books. In fact you have a very intriguing story. I wonder. . . yes. Is there any way that you could go into more detail on the events you spoke of?"  
  
"I suppose. But who would read the story of a faceless soldier."  
  
"Well a lot of people would read the story of such an intriguing soldi. . . faceless soldier. . . yes. We will call it The Faceless Soldier."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Please my friend. We can tell the world the former glory of the Empire."  
  
"Well. . . alright."  
  
"Great. Now, what is your name friend."  
  
"My name? My name is not important. I am THX-5721."  
  
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Well? What do you guys think? I would really appreciate any advise you fellow Star Wars fan out there would like to give me. In future chapters I plan on going more in depth on THX-5721's experiences. It will definitely include more conversation. You will also be hearing from some of the Star Wars characters mentioned above. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I could also use a beta reader. If anyone is interested write me at thirdday2001@hotmail.com. 


	2. The Battle of Hoth

CHAPTER 2: The Battle of Hoth.  
  
"So. Where should I begin?  
  
"Start with your mission on Hoth"  
  
"What should I say?"  
  
"Well. What ship were you on? What got you involved down on the planet?"  
  
"My ship? I was on Lord Vader's Super Star Destroyer. As far as how I got involved with the ground assault. . . It started with my being yelled at by a superior officer."   
  
***************  
  
"You there! Why aren't you at your post?"   
  
"Sorry, sir. I was on my way to check a malfunction on the transports by orders of General Veers."  
  
"Where are these orders, soldier?"  
  
"Um. . .sorry, sir. General Veers stated he was in a hurry and had no time to write out my orders."  
  
"That doesn't sound much like General Veers."  
  
"Yes sir. But he was on his way to speak to Lord Vader, sir."  
  
"Oh. . . well. . . fine. You may return to your post, Private."  
  
"Very good, sir. Right away."  
  
"Oh, and by the way, Private."  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"What is your identification number?"  
  
"Sir! THX-5721, sir!"  
  
"Very good, Private. Carry on."  
  
"Thank you, sir!"  
  
The Colonel made his way through the long corridors of the Super Star Destroyer towards the dark chamber. As he entered he could feel the evil presence of the one they called Darth Vader. The feeling sent chills up and down the Colonel's spine.  
  
"Colonel Starford, I don't recall summoning you."  
  
"No, Lord Vader, but the Emperor demands a progress report immediately, sir."  
  
"Very good, Colonel. Report to General Veers immediately and tell him to ready his men."  
  
"Right away, sir. Will there be anything else, sir?"  
  
"Yes, your new commander is Admiral Piett. You will report directly to him, Brigadier General Starford."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Vader."  
  
The newly appointed Brigadier General knew exactly what Vader meant by Piett being his new commander. He had seen Vader's wrath poured out upon those in authority over him before. This promotion did not excite him at all, for he knew that with higher rank came a higher chance of feeling the dark grip of the Sith Lord.   
  
"General Veers. I was ordered to report to you at once."  
  
"Colonel Starford! How good to see you."  
  
"Actually, sir, it's Brigadier General now."  
  
"Well then. What is Lord Vader's message, Brigadier General?"  
  
"Lord Vader ordered the immediate preparation of your troops for deployment to the planet's surface."  
  
"Excellent! It appears we will have a battle after all."  
  
"Yes, sir. Is that all?"  
  
"Actually, no. I would like you to meet someone."  
  
"Really? May I ask who, sir?"  
  
"Gaunt! We have been friends for years. You don't need to call me sir!"  
  
"As you wish, sir."  
  
"Fine, do as you wish."  
  
As General Veers finished his comment a figure slowly crept from the shadows and into the well-lit quarters.  
  
"Ah! Here he is now. Private, I want you to meet Brigadier General Starford. Gaunt, this is Private First Class THX-5721."  
  
"Pleased to meet you again, sir."  
  
"Likewise, Private."  
  
"Oh, so you two have already meet. Gaunt, I want you to see some of these military plans the Private here has mapped out . . ."  
  
As the two officers stared down at the plans that 5721 had spent the last few months creating, he couldn't help but smile. He had admired Starford for years. During his Academy days, Starford had made himself stand out as a military genius with a keen understanding of the enemies' minds. It seemed like he always knew when and where the enemy would strike. 5721 felt very relieved he was wearing his helmet. He would not want to embarrass himself in front of his hero.  
  
What 5721 didn't know was that Starford had always hated authority figures. His only real friend was Veers and he really only tolerated him. Another fact unbeknownst to the youthful Private was that Starford was a Rebel sympathizer. He had always hated the Old Republic and the only thing holding Starford back from joining the Alliance was that he felt a certain obligation to Veers. The reason being that when Starford's temper flared up at one of his instructors at his military Academy, Veers convinced the instructor not to dismiss Starford from the Academy. But all of this wasn't known to 5721. All he knew was that he one day longed to be like Gaunt Starford.  
  
"Private. . . Private! Are you listening?"  
  
"What? Oh . . . sorry, sir."  
  
"I asked if you would like to go down?"  
  
"Go down where, sir?"  
  
Flustered, General Veers motioned his head towards the large window in his office that had a clear view of the vastness of space. 5721, still unsure what the General meant, looked out the window to see a small blue star on the horizon.  
  
"Oh, sir! Yes, sir! It would be an honor."  
  
"Very good, I will see to it that you are placed at a joint command with Lieutenant Routman."  
  
"Thank you again, sir. Will that be all?"   
  
"Yes, Private, that is all. Good luck."  
  
"Thank you, sir!"  
  
It was freezing. Even with his suit 5721 felt the burning cold air blowing by him. He could see that the AT-AT walkers were far too much for the Rebel defenses. He and his group were running at a quick pace toward the front line of Rebel troops. When they were within fifty feet of the line he glanced to his left to see Lieutenant Routman hit by enemy fire. Without leadership he knew that his group's mission would be difficult. After only a few minutes he dashed into the south entrance of Echo base to find most of his group still alive.   
  
"Well, sir, it seems that you are in command now."  
  
"Right." 5721 said with a confident voice, but unsure if he was up to the task at hand. "Let's stick to the plan. You ten, follow me down this tunnel here to the command room. The rest of you advance down the main tunnel and try and capture any fleeing commanders. Any questions?"  
  
"Sir what if we run into enemy soldiers who surrender?"  
  
"Lord Vader has made it very clear to me and the other leaders. There will be no prisoners. Understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
With that, 5721 advanced down the narrow corridor toward the command room. When he and his men entered they ran into a small group of Rebel militia protecting the commanders yet to flee. In a desperate maneuver, 5721 tossed a explosive toward the only other exit, destroying it and trapping the Rebels in. After a brief firefight, the remaining five Rebel troops threw down their weapons and surrendered.  
  
"Sir, the Rebels have thrown down their arms!"  
  
"I can see that, Private! Now line them up with their hands above their heads."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"You men have been found guilty of treason against the Galactic Empire and are sentenced to death by Emperor Palpatine."  
  
***************  
  
"Just hold on one minute!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You mean to tell me that you shot unarmed Rebel troops that had surrendered?"  
  
"Not because I wanted to! I had no choice. My ten men could never have transported those men, plus the five leaders, to our next target. They would have jumped my men and then we all, myself included, would have been killed!"  
  
"I see. Well, please continue where you left off."  
  
***************  
  
"Sir, the commanders have been shackled are ready for transport."  
  
"Good. Let's move out."  
  
The party moved quickly up the hall towards a room with green light glowing from it. Here the party met up with the other fifteen men and half entered the room. They set a timed thermal detonator on the main reactor of the frozen complex.  
  
"The timer's set, sir. We have ten minutes."  
  
"Alright, let's move out! Double time!"  
  
***************  
  
"And!"  
  
"And what?"  
  
"And what happened after that?"  
  
"We went back to the ship."  
  
"You are really new at this storytelling stuff aren't you?"  
  
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Well? What do you guys think. Hope you like. Open to comments, good or bad. Thanks for reviewing! 


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